Avenging Spider-Man #9: Awesome. DeConnick does such a great job here that I'm pretty sure I'm going to wind up buying up all the back issues of "Captain Marvel" when I go to the comic shop today. DeConnick intuitively grasps the entire point of "Avenging Spider-Man," namely that it's an opportunity for Pete to have some banter with a fellow Avengers while facing a not-so-serious threat. I mean, if the world is going to end, it's probably not going to be in "Avenging Spider-Man." You're more likely to get the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man trying to eat the Chrysler Building than Dr. Doom setting off a nuclear device. DeConnick gets that and it's all the better of an issue for it.
She has a great ear for Pete's personality and voice, so much so that I would love to see her try her hand at "Amazing Spider-Man" after Slott leaves. For example, I totally believe that Pete would be afraid of flying in a prop plane, even though, as Carol notes, he swings "from spittle off skyscrapers." DeConnick also manages to be the only author who seems to remember Carol and Pete's mutual attraction. I've always loved the idea of the two of them together and I'm sorry that I wasn't reading comics when they went on a few dates. DeConnick delivers some truly excellent flirting in this issue and I am so, so very proud of Peter for climbing onto that limb and saying, "Or, better yet, three minutes in the clo --" Damn jetpack girl screwing up his line. Lest you think only Pete gets the winner, Carol delivers one of the best lines of the issue: "Don't you lady me, son, I'm an Avenger." Awesome. DeConnick adds to the impact of these lines by having a sense of comic timing that I don't think I've ever seen come across so clearly in a comic before.
In terms of the plot, DeConnick delivers an initially non-threatening MacGuffin in the form of the aforementioned jetpack-wearing activist seeking to steal money from a bank and redistribute it to the people. (She decides to call herself "Robyn Hood" after a joke Pete made.) She's being chased by an overzealous guy in armor who the Boston cops reveal is sub-contracted to the city after the bank "donated" his armor to the city. (Smart bank. Donate the armor to make sure your guy is the one to handle your cases.) My only problem with the story is that he seemed to be WAY too blood-thirsty. I get the fact that he wanted the bonus, but the fact that he was willing to kill not only Robyn Hood but also Captain Marvel and Spider-Man simply because he was allowed to capture her "dead or alive" really seemed WAY over the top. Moreover, despite the cops claiming that they had no control over the situation, I'd be very surprised if a real cop would just step aside and let a glorified security guard kill someone, bank robber or no, donated armor or no. But, the plot doesn't matter so much when you're having this much fun.
Venom #20: You know, I've been reading comic books long enough to know that "Chekhov's gun" always applies. As such, when the intro page mentioned Betty's brother Bennett, you'd think that I would've taken notice. I did, but I noticed the next panel, mentioning Ned. I knew from a spoiler that Crime-Master revealed his identity in this issue, so I was expecting to learn that Ned had returned from the dead. I was not expecting it to be Betty's brother. I'm not really sure how I feel about that. On one hand, it helps Flash, since I'm pretty sure Betty is going to feel like Flash was chosen as Crime-Master's pawn as a result of his relationship with her and, although it might not eliminate her angry, that guilt will likely remove her ability to be completely indignant. (I'm going to have to read earlier issues to see how Crime-Master found Flash in the first place. Even if he didn't know his identity in the beginning and their "relationship" happened by accident, he likely amped up the "relationship" once he knew that it was Flash.) However, on the other hand, we've got poor Betty Brant yet again being a victim of a man, this time of her brother. I mean, first, she had her husband go insane (and become the Hobgoblin, since I don't acknowledge the ret-con). But, then, just in the last few issues, she's been kidnapped by Crime-Master, ("Venom" #4), mugged ("Amazing Spider-Man" #665), kidnapped by Crime-Master AGAIN ("Venom" #19), and now learns that Crime-Master is her brother. I mean, I feel like we're seriously moving past "Women in Refrigerators" syndrome and creating a whole new "Betty Brant in Hell" category.
Meanwhile, Flash totally loses his shit in this issue. His mother, thankfully, isn't dead (I'm assuming Human Fly ate her dog or something), but, in Flash's attempt to find her, he kills Death Adder (in front of a woman and her young son no less) and cuts off the Human Fly's wings. Remender makes it pretty clear that Flash is in a head-long rush to find Betty and his mother. But, it's also pretty clear that he's going to have to find a way to live with what he's doing now when the dust settles. This series has made it clear that Flash is a little more comfortable with death than the average superhero, given his time as a soldier. But, the way he killed Death Adder, the way he tortured Human Fly, and the fact that his brother-in-law was killed because of him are all going to be things that will weigh on him later. Man, can't Flash have a win?
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